Carrier authority
Carrier authority is the grant to transport regulated freight for hire. FMCSA lists it apart from broker authority. A company can hold both. The contract for your car should say whether this firm is hauling the car or only arranging the haul.
Key facts
- Property carrier filing
- Public liability is required. Cargo insurance is not, for non-household-goods property.
- Source: fmcsa.dot.gov
- Minimum public liability
- 750,000 dollars for for-hire interstate nonhazardous property at 10,001 pounds or more
- Source: ecfr.gov
The sources are listed on this page.
Carrier authority lets a company transport other people's goods for pay in interstate commerce. On the Licensing and Insurance record it appears as common or contract authority. Freight forwarder authority is listed there as contract authority, which is a third role. Broker authority is the arranging grant. The same legal name can hold more than one.
Insurance that goes with it
FMCSA says a motor carrier of property, other than household goods, must file public liability insurance for bodily injury and property damage. Cargo insurance is not required for that authority. A household-goods carrier must file both. A car on a trailer is usually property, not a household-goods move. Do not read a liability filing as cover for a scratch on your car. Ask the contract what cargo limit and deductible apply.
How to tell the roles apart
If the company will not say whether it is the carrier or the broker, look at which authority is active, then match the truck to a carrier docket before you release the car. RideShipper does not hold carrier authority and does not haul vehicles.